When winter hands you snow, make snowcones. Idea credit goes to Kara, my cousin-in-law, who makes far more interesting and intoxicating varieties (mine was Kool-Aid with half the sugar - can you believe how much sugar goes into that stuff?!)

... UIC Hospital (Iowa City) recovering from a major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor growing out of his humerus (not funny). After the removal, they replaced the now-hollow, swiss-cheesed bone with a stainless steel rod core and joint inside a cadaver bone, and pieced the nerves back together. Science. My brother and I rode with my grandma to join my mother (already there) to keep him company. We spent all day in his room, marveling at his ...

... it. He told me there was a time he'd be too shy to come talk to a stranger, but he's been trying to change that. I can relate. I saw a cool snake in the grass and warned three nearby guys who were playing disc golf. They came over and immediately started messing with it. I didn't anticipate that being the reaction to my warning. I didn't want to be a part of it so I left. I feel so guilty if that snake was hurt. I ...